‘Those girls who broke the mould’. The legacy of Catalan women writers.

Núria Cadenes

Moderator: Lourdes Toledo

In 1931, Aurora Bertrana wrote in La Nau: ‘Tentatively and discreetly, with a charming, very Latin grace, these girls become journalists, give lectures, form societies, and write books.’ They were bold, modern, intelligent, hard-working and, in most cases, committed to the politics and society of their day. When fascism arrived, many were left with exile, silence, hardship, sorrow, and even suicide, yet also with the hope and perseverance to leave an oeuvre, a literary legacy, like Aurora Bertrana, Mercè Rodoreda, and Anna Murià, among so many others. Catalan women writers and journalists today are where and who we are because we can look back and feel supported and inspired, and this is vital. This is why we will discuss not only the past and a legacy but also continuity. About voices that still resonate today.